Posted on 04/25/2012 6:26:25 PM PDT by Theoria
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón is preparing to file felony vehicular manslaughter charges against Chris Bucchere, the bicyclist who fatally struck a 71-year-old pedestrian in the Castro district last month.
The felony charge - which could result in a 16-month sentence for Bucchere if he is convicted - is a sharp contrast to the misdemeanor count prosecutors filed in a case last year in which a bicyclist struck and killed a woman along the Embarcadero.
The difference this time is prosecutors' conclusion that Bucchere, 35, was grossly negligent in his riding before he ran into Sutchi Hui in a crosswalk at Market and Castro streets March 29.
"I think the evidence is very strong," said one source inside the D.A.'s office, who asked not to be named while the charges are still pending.
The problem wasn't that Bucchere ran a red light - prosecutors think the light was yellow when he rode into the intersection heading south.
But before that, a motorist reported seeing Bucchere fly through several red lights and stop signs along Divisadero Street leading up to the intersection, said police Capt. Denis O'Leary, head of the hit-and-run detail that investigated the collision.
Also, a tracker on Bucchere's bike allegedly showed he was riding faster than 35 mph in a 25-mph zone.
Finally, a video taken from a surveillance camera at 17th and Market streets reportedly showed a hunched-over Bucchere speeding through the intersection, making little or no attempt to stop before hitting Hui on the far side.
"It really shows his recklessness," O'Leary said.
In short, prosecutors will argue that - light or no light - Bucchere was traveling at an unsafe speed and failed to yield to Hui in the crosswalk.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
—If I altered my path by a few inches I would have had serious injuries. —
Yeah, in another post I talk about chastizing my step son for doing that when he was a bike messenger in downtown Seattle. I shadowed him and was shocked at the risks he took.
—I’ve heard of creative writing. —
I was asking a question. Someone set me straight. Sheesh.
—54 on a 20 lb bike feels about like 120 on a motorcyle. I’ve done both. White knuckles.—
Same here, and you are exactly right about the knuckle thing. That speed, supported by those almost non-existent tires and rims, is a bit harrowing....
I was on the STP about 15 years ago and coming down off the Longview bridge this guy was really hauling and he “jumped” his bike to avoid a bump, and his front wheel came out of the fork. It was bad.
I’ve never met a rude cyclist and I aways try to give ‘em extra room on the road.
It just bothers me - you never know what they’re going to do next. Sheer mass and a four-wheel stance mostly keeps cars from doing unexpected things, but you can never tell with bicyclists.
—another one said something about us recycling our trash instead of burning it...
I like to tell them (and I have) that I’m trying to produce more CO2 for the trees. It’s what plants crave!
I’ve been hit by three cars. I’ve never gone down (except once in 1965 on my schwinn paper-boy special while jumping dirt piles). All three cars were badly scratched up by my pedals, though. I ripped a pedal through the fender of a beautiful red Porsche 911 turbo once as he tried to make a right in front of me. I felt bad for that one. He just made a simple mistake.
Best advice my experienced motorcycle buddy ever gave me was “assume you are invisible”. It saved me TWICE in one day on I-405. You subconsciously always have an escape route planned. Neither situation was even dangerous because I just used the escape route and continued on.
—No speaka the eng?—
Que?
A LOT of old timers have been banned. I noticed even The Comedian got banned. That was a shame.
One thing many people forget is that a LOT of cyclists are also motorists.
On my bike, I consider stop signs as Yield signs. In my car I see them as stop signs. The reasons for the difference are too many to go into here.
Also, when you see a car driver doing something boneheaded, you don’t say, “stupid car driver!”. They are not perceived as a “group” because you are one of them. But with Bicyclists, Motorcyclists, large trucks, motorhomes, etc. People tend to judge the group, which is ill advised.
—I would prefer a smaller clientele myself.—
Are you suggesting they ban people for not donating? What about anonymous donations?
we have the road race thing going on here too....and like you said, they are even worse in packs!
If I were a skinny guy on a skinny bike wearing spandex, I would be VERY careful who I said what to out here in the country.
This area is full of Swamp Yankees and they don’t take kindly to ANYONE telling them what to do or how to do it. And they may not yell back or shoot you (lots of hunting weapons out here), but they are very very creative and patient when it comes to pay back. My hubby is one...best friend you could ever have...worst enemy too and an enemy for life.
Every spring, he and his buddies wait for “those spandex a*****es”, and when they have a race and want fresh country air? My husband and his friends light the smelliest, smokiest fire using venison and fish bones/parts...and put on bluegrass and spend the day honing their fire skills and dreaming up new ways to get back at them...
yes, it seems silly (sorry honey) But those spandex a*****es used to yell at my barking dogs-fenced in dogs who were doing their job-telling me to “control my dogs”...blah blah...”nothing but white trash”...said this TO ME...with of course no man around.
So I let the guys do what they want!
Mrs CT Hillbilly
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